Russellings of the Spirit

My Aching Back

There we were, relaxing on the white sugar sands of Destin, Florida. Joan and I traveled there to celebrate our 21^st wedding anniversary. [Pro tip: Get married in a year that ends with 000 if you can. That way you always know how long you’ve been married.]

One moment we were enjoying a carefree frolic in the emerald surf…

… the next moment I was back in our room, howling in agony.

It seems my back – which has been a source of misery for me on and off for the last 40 years – was not a fan of frolicking in the surf. It seized up in a very painful way and demanded one hundred percent of my attention.

That was on May 4. It is now June 8, and the situation is only marginally better. 

Since the onset of this latest insult, I have been to chiropractors (x4), massage therapists (x3), my PCP, a pain management specialist, a guy who mixes in some rolfing with cold lasers with massage with pep talks, an orthopedic surgeon, a physical therapist, I’ve used ice, used heat, taken pain drugs, muscle relaxer drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, and plain old laying down and taking it easy. 

The drugs do a great job relieving the pain, but they also make me sleepy and sluggish and completely rob me of blog posting ideas. 

And now, I am reading a book titled, Healing Back Pain; The Mind-Body Connection (by John E. Sarno, MD) that tells me this whole thing is all in my head, essentially. 

I am not writing today to seek additional therapeutic suggestions or to elicit sympathy. Lord knows there are some of you dealing with much more serious physical situations than mine. 

I am writing to say that I am not so sure Dr. Sarno is totally wrong. 

Because there IS indeed a connection between our mind and our body. When the psalmist talked to God and marveled at the fact that human beings are, “… fearfully and wonderfully made,” (Psalm 139:14, NRSV), I believe she (or he) was talking about all the magical and mystical dimensions of the human experience… internal as well as external.

But I get it.

It is far easier to think of our component parts as separate, unconnected entities and treat them as such. Tracking down all the pertinent details of my emotional state on May 4, 2021 and finding out which group of them sent my back muscles into spasm is infinitely tougher than just writing me a prescription for pain killers. 

In Psalm 19:1 we are also reminded that God’s inscrutable awesomeness is readily seen throughout the created world. When he (or she) says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1, NRSV), I can easily justify substituting the words “My body” for “The heavens” and “my spine” for “the skies.” 

At this moment I am more inclined to attribute the creation of the lumbar region of my spine to God’s Chief Adversary. But before that Pity Party even gets off the ground, I find myself invited to meditate on this reminder from Paul. He told the Corinthian Christians that, “This slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure.” (2 Corinthians 4:17, NRSV). 

Thanks for letting me whine for a moment. I know this too shall pass and that I will be back walking, riding my bike, mowing the grass, and planting shrubbery in very short order. 

I’ll make a deal with you: you pray for me, and I’ll pray for you. Heck, I’ll even pray for you even if you DON’T pray for me. 

Sound good?

Abundant blessings;